McGraw, Wilson murder trials to begin this month

Published: Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 17, 2014 at 8:47 p.m.

The first-degree murder trials of a man accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend and a man accused of killing his wife while she slept will begin in local courts before the end of the month.

Jury selection will begin Tuesday for the trial of Eric Cornell Wilson, 43, charged with first-degree murder and felony kidnapping in the January 2011 death of his ex-girlfriend, Victoria-Jon Baptiste. The trial is anticipated to last a week in Henderson County Superior Court.

The murder trial of Travis Lee McGraw, 47, accused of killing his wife, Vanessa Mintz, at her family-owned Saluda Mountain Lodge on Feb. 19, 2011, is slated to start Jan. 27. The Polk County Superior Courtroom has been reserved for two weeks for the trial.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Alex Bass, of District 29-A, took over the state’s prosecution for the case in August.

Judge Marvin Pope is set to preside over both cases.

Wilson

Hendersonville police charged Wilson in connection with the strangulation death of 27-year-old Baptiste, who was found dead in her 1119 Park St. home on Jan. 12, 2011. An autopsy revealed she was bound and gagged, sexually assaulted and choked to death. Police said her three young children were in the home when authorities discovered her body.

An autopsy report said her hands were bound with a telephone cord that extended from around her neck and back to her hands. The cause of death was listed as asphyxiation caused by strangulation.

Wilson’s address, according to court records, was the same as Jon-Baptiste’s. The couple had a child together.

Wilson, who was originally charged with second-degree kidnapping and violating a domestic violence restraining order, has been held in the Henderson County jail for three years awaiting trial. He remains in custody in lieu of a $250,000 secured bond.

McGraw

According to court records, McGraw told a woman he was having an extramarital affair with that he was planning to end his marriage the weekend Mintz was murdered.

Investigators suspect 53-year-old Mintz was killed between the evening hours of Feb. 18, 2011 and the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2011, when her body was found in the employees’ quarters of the Saluda lodge.

Mintz died from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators found a shotgun shell on the floor near the end of the bed.

A special agent with the State Bureau of Investigation received written consent from McGraw to search his 2005 red Chevrolet pickup. An unfired shotgun shell was found in the passenger side front door panel, matching the spent shell inside the employees’ quarters, according to a report from SBI Special Agent Steven Modlin.

McGraw was arrested four days after Mintz’s body was found.

McGraw was romantically involved with Mary Beth Fisher, who had given him “a deadline for Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011, to let her know where their relationship was going,” according to Modlin.

McGraw, a former EMT, policeman and veteran of the U.S. Air Force, had no prior criminal record or history of domestic violence in 2011, according to his attorney, Tony Dalton.

Mintz had returned from a clean-water mission trip to Pakistan eight weeks before her death. Her family said she lived a life of service, evidenced by the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce’s ATHENA Leadership Award given in memory of Vanessa Mintz each year.

<p>The first-degree murder trials of a man accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend and a man accused of killing his wife while she slept will begin in local courts before the end of the month.</p><p>Jury selection will begin Tuesday for the trial of Eric Cornell Wilson, 43, charged with first-degree murder and felony kidnapping in the January 2011 death of his ex-girlfriend, Victoria-Jon Baptiste. The trial is anticipated to last a week in Henderson County Superior Court.</p><p>The murder trial of Travis Lee McGraw, 47, accused of killing his wife, Vanessa Mintz, at her family-owned Saluda Mountain Lodge on Feb. 19, 2011, is slated to start Jan. 27. The Polk County Superior Courtroom has been reserved for two weeks for the trial.</p><p>Chief Assistant District Attorney Alex Bass, of District 29-A, took over the state's prosecution for the case in August. </p><p>Judge Marvin Pope is set to preside over both cases.</p><p><b>Wilson</b></p><p>Hendersonville police charged Wilson in connection with the strangulation death of 27-year-old Baptiste, who was found dead in her 1119 Park St. home on Jan. 12, 2011. An autopsy revealed she was bound and gagged, sexually assaulted and choked to death. Police said her three young children were in the home when authorities discovered her body.</p><p>An autopsy report said her hands were bound with a telephone cord that extended from around her neck and back to her hands. The cause of death was listed as asphyxiation caused by strangulation.</p><p>Wilson's address, according to court records, was the same as Jon-Baptiste's. The couple had a child together. </p><p>Wilson, who was originally charged with second-degree kidnapping and violating a domestic violence restraining order, has been held in the Henderson County jail for three years awaiting trial. He remains in custody in lieu of a $250,000 secured bond.</p><p><b>McGraw</b></p><p>According to court records, McGraw told a woman he was having an extramarital affair with that he was planning to end his marriage the weekend Mintz was murdered.</p><p>Investigators suspect 53-year-old Mintz was killed between the evening hours of Feb. 18, 2011 and the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2011, when her body was found in the employees' quarters of the Saluda lodge.</p><p>Mintz died from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators found a shotgun shell on the floor near the end of the bed. </p><p>A special agent with the State Bureau of Investigation received written consent from McGraw to search his 2005 red Chevrolet pickup. An unfired shotgun shell was found in the passenger side front door panel, matching the spent shell inside the employees' quarters, according to a report from SBI Special Agent Steven Modlin.</p><p>McGraw was arrested four days after Mintz's body was found.</p><p>McGraw was romantically involved with Mary Beth Fisher, who had given him “a deadline for Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011, to let her know where their relationship was going,” according to Modlin.</p><p>McGraw, a former EMT, policeman and veteran of the U.S. Air Force, had no prior criminal record or history of domestic violence in 2011, according to his attorney, Tony Dalton.</p><p>Mintz had returned from a clean-water mission trip to Pakistan eight weeks before her death. Her family said she lived a life of service, evidenced by the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce's ATHENA Leadership Award given in memory of Vanessa Mintz each year.</p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>